This AFP piece by Dan De Luce caught our eye this evening, and there is something positively off-putting about it.

“Commanders say Obama overruled them on Afghanistan.” Well, not quite. The article says that GNL David Petraeus—a commander (singular)—and ADM Mike Mullen—who is Chairman of the JCOS but not a commander in the Afghanistan theater directly—said that the President’s withdrawl order was aggressive, but do not say they were overruled. When asked if he felt like resigning, Petraeus correctly said that this disagreement was hardly that severe.

Additionally, SecDef Robert Gates is quoted as agreeing with the decision on the whole.

So where is the overruling decision?

The story is strange because it appears, at first, to paint a picture that the military is at odds with the President, when none of the principals seem to oppose the idea. No other Afghanistan commanders are quoted in opposition. Or at all.

And, further, the Czar is bothered by this notion that the military is okay with entertaining thoughts of voicing opposition to orders. You may disagree with your Commander-in-Chief, but when he gives an order, you do it. Petraeus is even quoted here, too: “[it is] the responsibility, needless to say, of those in uniform to salute smartly and to do everything possible to execute”

In short, we have top military brass, only one of whom is technically an Afghanistan commander, not disagreeing with someone who really has not overruled them, and who are in loose agreement that we can begin transferring responsibilities to the Afghans and start reducing troop presence there…which seems to be in agreement with most Americans.

Even shorter: My name is Dan De Luce, and I needed to get an article to the wire, so I took a non-existent story, popped in some quotes that say nothing, and got my paycheck.

The Czar of Muscovy

Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.